Pleasing community response to first forum
The Wakatipu Expert panel was pleased with the response to the first community drop-in forum on the 1st July. Around 30 Wakatipu residents discussed elderly care, rest-home facilities, hospital transfers and management of a proposed integrated family health centre for the region.
Also attending Friday's forum were panellists, consumer advocate David Russell and Professor of emergency medicine Mike Ardagh.
The Panel chair, Dr Peter Foley, says "the panel is really pleased with how the Wakatipu community is engaging with us, and their feedback has been valuable and positive."
"We're now just over four weeks into our listening process and we're putting together hypothetical scenarios to focus people on specific feedback and potential solutions."
Last week the Panel also individually consulted with pharmacists, doctors and nurses from the Lakes District Hospital, as part of the community engagement.
Later this week the Panel is meeting with Southern DHB and Dunedin Hospital staff including the Chief Medical Officer.
The community will be able to meet with the Panel again to discuss hospital services, at the Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting room, on 8 July, from 10am to 12.30pm. The last forum on general practice and community health services will also be held in the council meeting room on 22 July, from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.
